Alexa Charlize D.C. Geronimo CN16 11-Faith Genocide of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines: the Lumad of Mindanao Among the vast number of atrocities in the Philippines, genocide of indigenous peoples is one less spoken of. The term genocide was first coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944, using the Greek word genos (race, tribe) and the Latin word cide (killing) (Totten & Hitchcock, 2002). The act is, as cited by the Convention on Genocide (1948), defined as the intentional maltreatment, abuse, and destruction of an ethnic, religious, or racial group among others (Totten & Hitchcock, 2002). Historically, some of the most infamous genocide events in the world are the Holocaust and the Armenian massacre (Andreopoulos, 2018). This extreme and diabolical form of acculturation grievously exists in the Philippines. The genocide of indigenous peoples, especially the Lumad of Mindanao, remain a controversial issue in the Philippines’ political climate. This written discourse begins by further defining and discussing genocide. It then explores and enumerates the genocidal attacks on the Lumad of Mindanao and calls for action and advocacy. Genocide is a menace to human rights and an abororiginal response to cultural difference. In detail, the aforementioned convention defines genocide as the undertaking of the following acts with the intention of abolishing any kind of group: killing members of the group, inducing bodily or mental injury to the group, destructing conditions of life of the group, preventing births within the group, and compulsorily transfering children of a group to another group. With all certainty, we can all say that such a crime is simply unacceptable to any society as it scraps not only intercultural dialogue, uniqueness, and acceptance, but also human rights—the very foundation of peace, justice, and love. In the Philippines, genocide of indigenous peoples remains a perrenial issue. Evidently, over the recent years, the Lumad of Mindanao have sadly been recurrent victims of the atrocity (Manlupig, 2015). For months, back in 2015, the Lumad people have experienced numerous harassments, abuses,and indiscriminate firings by alleged government perpetrators and the anti-communist paramilitary groups. 700 Lumads were displaced and hundreds of Lumad students were left bereaved of attending classes as their schools were shut down and their teachers were threatened to be harmed or to be put to death. Month after month, more Lumad people were getting injured and killed, and more police violence cases were being reported. In fact, as cited by Manlupig (2015), 5 Lumad citizens, including a 13-year-old and a 17-year-old, were put to death by Special Forces in the area; the police claimed that they were rebels, yet the New People’s Army denied the assertions saying the victims were merely civilians. And among the other horrible events, on September 2 in the same year, at least 10 houses and a Lumad school were burned by a paramilitary group, and 5 Lumad evacuees were arrested by the authorities for handing out leaflets about the recent attacks on them. These incidences are a few among the many genocidal events and issues in the Philippines. In fact, there exists a law against the crime namely, The Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity (Republic Act No. 9851 | GOVPH, 2009). However, in spite of having the aforementioned constitution in place, why do these crimes continue? It is because of the cruel cycle of corruption and bigotry in the state. The wheels of justice doubtlessly spin too slow and that is why we Filipinos are called to take matters into our own united hands of resonating desire for justice and peace. Genocide, particulary of indigenous peoples, exists in the Philippines and should not be overlooked. It is a peril to human rights and a distorted form of acculturation—the experiences of the Lumad of Mindanao tell us all about its frightening existence and inhumanity in the Philippines, that is why it is a need for us citizens to use our voices and other abilities to fight against it. On a global scale, prevention, awareness, and intervention should be established on this issue. To conclude, genocide of indigenous peoples exist in the Philippines and should be eradicated at all costs. The story of the Lumad people tell us the country’s need for protection against human rights violence. Sources: Andreopoulos, G. J. (2018). genocide | Definition, Examples, & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/genocide Manlupig, K. (2015, September 16). TIMELINE: Attacks on the Lumad of Mindanao. Rappler. https://www.rappler.com/nation/timeline-attacks-lumad-mindanao Republic Act No. 9851 | GOVPH. (2009, December 11). Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2009/12/11/republic-act-no-9851/ Totten, S., & Hitchcock, R. (2002, August 0). Confronting Genocide and Ethnocide of Indigenous Peoples: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Definition, Intervention, Prevention, and Advocacy. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/300179572_Confronting_Genocide_and_Ethnocide_of _Indigenous_Peoples_An_Interdisciplinary_Approach_to_Definition_Intervention_Prevention_a nd_Advocacy
